Amicus Curiae
by Heleentje
Summary: It was with great reluctance that the death of Ms. Cyan Sammons had been ruled homicide. How could a trial even be held when there was no motive, no murder weapon, and the victim claimed to have been killed by a dragon, of all things? Why, by bringing in an expert witness, of course.
1. Chapter 1

This is a crossover with Yu-Gi-Oh GX, but primarily takes place in the Ace Attorney universe. While useful, knowledge of Yu-Gi-Oh GX is not required for this story. I blame KENN for everything.

This fic will be using OCG card names throughout, as well as the Japanese names for the characters originating in the Yu-Gi-Oh universe. Also, beware: spoilers for the whole of Dual Destinies!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_LOS ANGELES Paseo Del Mar was closed for traffic several hours yesterday morning after keen-eyed drivers spotted a body on the side of the road. The body, later identified as that of 36-year-old Cyan Sammons, showed signs of extensive trauma. Police are investigating the case. Detective Ema Skye, 27, stated that the Los Angeles Police Department is not investigating the possibility of murder._

_"It was an accident," Skye told gathered members of the press. "Now let us do our job."_

_Sammons, a scientist working for the Los Angeles branch of entertainment giant Industrial Illusions, was last seen leaving her home yesterday morning. Coworkers stated she never arrived at work._

_Paseo Del Mar has been reopened for traffic._

March 7 2028, 6:23 AM

Los Angeles Police Department - Homicide Division

Ema Skye was not having a good day—that summed up most of her days as of late, but this one was proving to be particularly taxing. She'd been up for almost a day now, with only a fifteen-minute nap somewhere around three, and her coffee had gone cold. Again. She was too tired even for proper caffeine intake and that, she reflected, had to be an absolute low in her career.

The file in front of her wasn't providing her with any answers either. The first picture showed Cyan Sammons, an attractive, African-American woman who, judging by the slight wrinkles around her eyes, had seen one too many stressful days as well. The second picture showed Cyan Sammons again, but this time she had far bigger problems than a few wrinkles. Most of the right side of her body had disappeared. The resulting mess should have been far bloodier, but the picture showed a remarkable lack of blood.

"And we're sure she hasn't just washed up on shore?" Ema asked, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Aya Ghanem, a bio-zoologist who'd come over just for this case, shook her head.

"No signs of water damage," she said. The bags under her eyes had grown more pronounced in the last hour. "And this wasn't done by a shark. It's way too big."

"Maybe it was a crane accident?" Ema suggested hopefully. She'd made her bed yesterday morning. The sheets should still smell of fabric softener. It sounded so enticing now.

"No can do. Those are _teeth marks_. An animal did this, but there's no animal that can take out half a person in just one bite. We're looking at something with a mouth that's at least three feet wide."

Ema shuddered. She didn't want to think of such a creature. She most definitely didn't want to think of such a creature roaming the streets of Los Angeles.

"A killer whale could've done it, but she hasn't been anywhere near the ocean," Aya said, as she slumped back in her chair. "I give up, Ema. It must've been an animal that did this, but there's no animal on the planet that's capable of this, let alone in Los Angeles. Short of asking Ms. Sammons herself, there's no way we'll ever know."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." Ema stared moodily at her cold coffee. She was out of Snackoos too, and the vending machines in the hallway would only be refilled on Friday. "Either we have an undiscovered animal here, or a very creative murderer."

"Occam's razor," Aya muttered.

"What?"

"Go for the easiest explanation."

Ema stretched her arms. "So, murder?" she said. It didn't exactly make it easier for her. That meant she'd be dealing with a murder investigation instead of an accidental death, and that would mean court and trials and testifying.

"Yeah. I can't think of any animal that could've done this, but I'm pretty sure there are enough people crazy enough to do it. What does the autopsy say?"

Ema recovered the relevant file from the stack on her desk, even though she already knew its contents by heart, and knew Aya did too. "No head trauma, no gunshot wounds, no foreign substances in the blood. Everything points at that bite thing being the cause of death." She closed it with more violence than strictly necessary. "Right, I'm filing this as a murder investigation and then I'm going home and sleeping until tomorrow. Let the interns deal with it."

"Good plan." Aya got up slowly. "I'm going home. Don't wake me up unless there's another murder."

"That'll be the person I killed for waking me up." Ema shared a tired grin with the zoologist and picked up all the evidence related to the case. "I'll see you around. Here's hoping we'll get this solved without too much fuss."

March 7 2028, 4:39 PM

Chief Prosecutor's Office

"No. Absolutely not." Miles Edgeworth said. The police officer on the other side of the room flinched.

"Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth—"

"I refuse to assign a prosecutor for a murder trial if the police department is not even sure the victim was murdered. I expect a more thorough investigation."

"Detective Skye said—"

Edgeworth sighed. "I'm sure Detective Skye has done everything she could, but I can't start a murder trial with just this. What proof do we have that this wasn't an accident?"

"I— Chairman Pegasus from Industrial Illusions contacted the police department earlier today and insisted that everything possible be done to find Ms. Sammons' murderer."

"And so we're obeying the wishes of the first millionaire who throws money our way. Yes, I see how the justice system is working just fine."

The officer flinched and opened his mouth, undoubtedly to launch into the same tired explanation again, when the door to his office opened. Trucy Wright appeared, followed by a very harassed-looking Apollo Justice.

"Mr. Edgeworth, daddy wanted to know if you—"

"I'm so sorry, prosecutor Edgeworth. I tried to stop her but—

Edgeworth closed his eyes. "Just a minute, Trucy. Tell your father the case files he's looking for are in his mailbox and have been there since before the weekend."

"That wasn't what he—!" Trucy said, but Apollo ushered her out of the office before she could finish her sentence. Edgeworth could hear them arguing in the hallway.

"If you can come up with a stronger case than this, I'll consider taking it to court," he told the officer, who had been edging towards the door. "Not a second earlier."

"But short of talking to the victim—"

"Not a second earlier."

"Yes, Mr. Edgeworth." The officer fled the room. Edgeworth followed him and peered around the door.

"You can come in now."

Trucy bounded into the office, but Apollo took a while to follow. Unlike Trucy, who'd made it a habit to pop in at the most unexpected moments, Edgeworth didn't think he'd ever seen the junior lawyer in the prosecutor's office before. Most definitely not in Edgeworth's own office.

"Daddy actually already found the files, and he told me to tell you to have more faith in him," Trucy said. Edgeworth raised an eyebrow.

"That's an improvement. What is it he wanted to know?"

"Mystic Maya and Pearls are arriving tonight. Do you want to come pick them up with us?"

Maya and Pearl Fey? He'd seen Pearl during Athena Cykes' trial, but it had been a while since he'd seen Wright's old assistant. Last he'd heard, Maya Fey's duties as Master of the Kurain Channeling Tradition kept her firmly ensconced in Kurain.

"I'm afraid I'm busy, Trucy. I'll try to come by the office when I have time." He found himself genuinely regretting not being able to go. It had been several years since he'd last seen Maya Fey.

"Oh, too bad," said Trucy. "Daddy said that she was bringing the art book for the tenth anniversary special of the Steel Samurai."

_Damn you, Wright._ "I'll try to pass by when I have time," Edgeworth repeated. "The police department is trying to get me to declare a trial."

Apollo hadn't been paying attention, but at the mention of a trial, his head snapped up. "Trial? What about?" he asked, and belatedly added, "Prosecutor Edgeworth?"

"Don't get your hopes up, Mr. Justice. There is no murder weapon, no defendant, no motive. The only reason it hasn't been ruled as an accident yet is because the police department can't figure out how Ms. Sammons died."

"How did she die?" Apollo asked.

"The records say that she died of massive trauma and blood loss after being bitten by an animal."

Apollo frowned. "So then what's the problem? Ah, apart from Ms. Sammons being dead, of course, but-"

Edgeworth took pity on him. "There's no animal in the world that could've taken out half a person with just one bite. That's why the police suspects homicide."

"_Half a person_?" Apollo turned distinctly green, and Trucy covered her mouth. "How is that even possible? Who does such a thing?"

"Ah, so you do believe our culprit was human, Mr. Justice?" Edgeworth said. He smiled. "Unfortunately, we have no idea, and short of asking the late Ms. Sammons herself, I fear we have no proof."

"We can do that!"

Edgeworth turned towards Trucy, belatedly realizing just what exactly he'd said. "Trucy, no."

"Mystic Maya will be here tonight anyway, so we can ask her to channel Ms. Sammons, right? Then we can ask her what happened!"

"Such evidence will not be declared admissible in court," Edgeworth said, rubbing his forehead. "Maya Fey knows that very well. Whatever we learn from channeling the victim won't be reliable testimony."

"What's more reliable than the victim herself?" Trucy insisted. Edgeworth bit back his instinctual reply to that. His father hadn't known. His father had been trying to protect him and his testimony had made the whole system untrustworthy.

"Maybe the victim didn't know what happened either," he tried, "maybe she was drugged." _No traces of foreign substances found, "_Or killed before that thing took a bite out of her."

"But if that's the case," Apollo said. His face spoke of deep concentration and a determination Edgeworth did not like one bit, "then there should be an actual killer. Say… Say she was shot, and the bullet that killed her was in the missing half of her body. Then she could tell us who shot her, right? I mean," he closed his eyes, "I think this might actually be a homicide, Mr. Edgeworth. If such a creature doesn't exist, then there was something about that missing half of her body that counted as evidence. It's up to us to find it, isn't it?"

If he'd had a desk, he would've slammed it.

"So I can count on you taking this case when we find a culprit?" Edgeworth asked. Apollo stilled, his momentum broken.

"Eh?" He exchanged a look with Trucy. "I guess… If they're innocent… But we shouldn't be arresting innocent people."

"Quite true." Edgeworth absent-mindedly grabbed the files the officer had left behind. On the first page was a letter from the chairman of Industrial Illusions. The man had been the first to insist that a thorough investigation take place. But channeling Ms. Sammons? Surely that was a step too far. He might trust Maya Fey, but the Kurain channeling tradition had already made enough of a mess of the system. After they had finally gotten the public to trust the court system again, he was not in any hurry to jeopardize that.

"We could do it unofficially," Trucy said. Her eyes had taken on the same determined look as Apollo's earlier. "No one'd have to know, right? We just ask Mystic Maya this evening and if it's not important, we can forget all about it."

"Nothing I say is going to stop you, is it?"

Apollo looked away guiltily. Trucy had no such compunctions and cheerily replied, "Nope!"

Like a dog who'd smelled prey, the lot of them. Edgeworth shook his head. "Do what you want," he said. "If it's important, I'm sure I'll hear about it. Ema Skye has all the files you need."

"Okay!" Trucy turned on her heels. She'd almost made it to the door when she looked back. "Oh, Mr. Edgeworth, are you coming with us to pick up Mystic Maya tonight or not?"

Edgeworth looked at his deck, which wasn't as cluttered as it could have been. If he really made an effort, he'd be done before seven. But he had no intention of sticking around while the Wrights held their little Ouija session. Nothing good had ever come from it.

"I'm sorry, Trucy, I have too much work to do. Let me know what you find."

If they found anything. He sincerely found himself hoping they wouldn't. Ms. Sammons' case was bad enough if it were just an accident. He had no intention of finding out what kind of person would be cruel enough to commit a murder like this.

March 7 2028, 10:11 PM

Wright Anything Agency

Maya screamed.

Phoenix jumped up, as did Athena next to him. Pearl stopped them both with a wave of her hand.

"Happens sometimes," she whispered.

Maya—or the spirit inhabiting her body—fell silent abruptly and looked around, her now-brown eyes wide and panicked. The crowded room, too small for all the people gathered inside it, definitely wasn't helping the late Cyan Sammons calm down.

"Ms. Sammons?" Pearl asked.

"Where the hell am I?" The voice was Maya's, but at the same time, it was lower, harsher. Even Maya's face had become slightly sharper, the skin darker, with slight wrinkles around her eyes.

"You're at the Wright Anything Agency," Pearl replied, easily falling into her role as mediator. "My name is Pearl Fey. We wanted to ask you a few questions."

Cyan Sammons studied Maya's hands. "I'm dead, aren't I?" she said.

"I am very sorry for you," Pearl said. "We are trying to find out what happened. Currently you are being channeled by Mystic Maya Fey, the Master of the Kurain Channeling tradition."

"So I'm a spirit now?" Cyan muttered. "Guess that's not surprising."

If only all people took the news of being dead so well, Phoenix reflected. It would make his job so much easier. Maya had quite readily agreed to channel Ms. Sammons, and Ema had even come over, after shouting at Apollo for waking her up. It had involved a few threats that Phoenix hadn't caught, but Apollo had been very insistent on pouring his own drinks all evening.

"Do you remember what happened?" Phoenix asked. Cyan brushed a lock of Maya's hair behind her ear and bit her lip.

"I left home to go to work," she said slowly. "I know I made it a few blocks from home, but after that it's all kind of a blur."

Ema grabbed a handful of Snackoos and munched on them thoughtfully. "Did you go to Paseo Del Mar?" she asked. It came out muffled by the food in her mouth. Cyan Sammons looked briefly disgusted.

"No, why would I even go there? I stopped the car… Oh yeah! There was a dragon."

Phoenix blinked. Once, then once more, and when Cyan Sammons did not seem inclined to offer any further information, he said, "A dragon."

"Yes, it was… Yeah, Sapphire Dragon, I'm pretty sure. I didn't work on the card art but it's kind of an old one, isn't it? Very recognizable."

Phoenix glanced at Apollo, who was frowning at his bracelet as if its lack of activity was a personal insult. The magatama wasn't picking up anything either. Cyan Sammons believed what she was saying.

"Ms. Sammons," Ema picked up, in full detective mode now. "You worked for Industrial Illusions, which is a card game company, am I right? Do you mean that the dragon that killed you was one of their cards?"

"Yes, of course. It's weird, though. I didn't expect a Sapphire Dragon to be here on earth."

_You expected it to be anything other than a piece of cardboard?_

"She can't be serious," Athena whispered. Cyan straightened up, her angry expression utterly out of place on Maya's face.

"I am very serious, young lady. I know what killed me, and it was a Sapphire Dragon. I may not be able to see them myself, but I have been working with inter-dimensional technology for long enough to know about spirits."

"Ms. Sammons, did the dragon have any reason to kill you?" Pearl asked. Behind her, Apollo choked and started coughing. Trucy absently patted him on the back.

"No, they're peaceful creatures. Chairman Pegasus and Coral said they don't attack unless threatened." Cyan Sammons frowned. "I guess… But why would anyone want to kill me?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Ema said. "What do you remember about the location?"

Cyan Sammons bit her lip in reminiscence, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, it was dark. One minute I was in my car, the next, dragon."

Pearl unfolded her legs. "Is there anything else you remember, Ms. Sammons? It could be important."

"I'm sorry, I only know it was a Sapphire Dragon because I could see it shimmer. It was Longxin's favorite card, actually."

"Longxin?" Apollo asked.

"Longxin Huang, my lab partner. We used to argue about it." Cyan Sammons smiled softly. "I always preferred Diamond Dragon." Her smiled turned wistful. "I hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she is," said Pearl. "We can check up on her for you, if you want."

"I'd appreciate that," Cyan Sammons said. "Well, if that's all?"

"Yes, thank you." Ema said. Pearl nodded and touched Maya's hand. Immediately, a change came over her. Her eyes changed back to their normal color, and she took a deep breath.

"That's still a bit weird," Maya muttered. "Well? What'd you find out? What happened to her?"

Ema got up and dusted off her pants. "Pretty sure that was completely useless. Seriously, a dragon? Who's gonna believe that? That's so unscientific."

Phoenix agreed. She had to have been in shock when she was killed, because there was no way a monster from a card game could ever come to life.

"She said it was a spirit, Mystic Maya," Pearl said quickly.

Maya frowned. "Dead?"

"No, I don't think so. Just a spirit."

Ema looked at her bag of Snackoos, declared it empty with a disgusted sigh and got up. "I guess I'll just tell the police to stop looking. There's no way we can make a case out of that. Have you ever even heard of dragons?"

"No, wait." Maya got up along with her. "She might be telling the truth."

"My bracelet didn't react, so maybe she thought she was, but…" Apollo trailed off.

Maya shook her head. She grinned. "Well-kept secret here, Polly. There are more spirits than just those of the dead."

"There are?"

"Yep. But I'm not very familiar with them." She bit her lip like Cyan Sammons had done. "Oh, I know! I'm just going to make a call. I should have someone who can tell you about them. I just hope he's somewhere on the continent right now. Come on, Pearly!"

Maya grabbed Pearl's hand and dragged her into the hallway with her. "Be back in a minute!" she shouted over her shoulder. "Should have your witness here by tomorrow!"

"But there's not even a trial," Athena said.

"And there's not gonna be," said Ema. She put on her coat, just as Phoenix's phone started ringing. He fumbled with it and managed to press the answer button before the call went to voice mail.

"Phoenix Wright, defense attorne—"

_"Wright, it's me."_ Miles Edgeworth said.

"Edgeworth? It's almost eleven, something wrong?"

On the other side of the line, Edgeworth sighed deeply. _"It's the Sammons case. You can tell your protégés they've got a court appointment tomorrow. The police have made an arrest."_

The room fell silent. "Really? Who?" Phoenix asked.

_"Longxin Huang. The victim's former lab partner."_

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**For reference:**

Sapphire Dragon: yugioh. wikia wiki/Luster_Dragon  
Diamond Dragon: yugioh. wikia wiki/Hyozanryu

_Comments, questions and concrit very welcome!_


	2. Chapter 2

Apologies for the delay on this chapter and many thanks to modernpolymath for proofreading this!

For those who are interested, Huang Longxin's name is written 黄龙心.

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**Chapter 2**

**March 8 2028, 9:10 AM**

**District Court - Defendant Lobby n°2**

Longxin Huang looked far from comfortable. Her broad face had gained a certain pallor due to the night spent in the detention center, and it made her look far older than the 43 years her file indicated. The documents had gone on to say that she'd been born in Chongqing and had been working for the Shanghai branch of Industrial Illusions since 2007. She had transferred to California only two years ago. She looked like she used to smile a lot. She wasn't smiling now.

"I swear I didn't kill Cyan," she whispered with a furtive glance at the bailiff. "I didn't! She was such an amazing scientist. I was devastated when I heard she was dead!"

Apollo glanced at the clock. They'd be called in any minute now, and he had nothing to go on but an autopsy report, a defendant he didn't even know was innocent, and a statement from the victim that probably wasn't admissible in court and didn't help him anyway.

_That should teach you to get involved in random cases, Apollo._

"Mrs. Huang," he said quickly, gesturing for Athena to come closer. "We don't have a lot of time left, so I need you to be very honest with me. Did you kill Cyan Sammons?"

"No, I would never!"

"Were you in any way responsible for her death or involved with it?"

"No!"

Athena shook her head. "No noise," she whispered. "I don't think she's lying."

Apollo's bracelet hadn't reacted either. She was telling the truth. He didn't know whether to be relieved or baffled at the incompetence of the police.

_When's the last time they arrested the guilty party right away anyway?_

"But what's the motive?" Athena asked. "What grounds do the police even have to arrest Mrs. Huang? Just because she's Ms. Sammons' lab partner?"

Apollo grimaced. This whole case was just weird.

"Athena, Apollo!" came Pearl Fey's voice from the other side of the room. She made her way through the crowd to them. "Mystic Maya found the person she was looking for."

"Where is he?" asked Athena.

"He's with the prosecutor," Pearl said with a frown. "The one who really likes loud music?"

"Prosecutor Gavin?" At least someone shared his opinion on the Gavinners' music. Between Trucy and Athena, Apollo had started to feel a distinct sense of betrayal. "I guess he'd like this kind of trial. Very… glamorous."

"Could've been worse." Athena grinned. "Could've been Payne."

Apollo shuddered. Prosecutor Gavin wasn't very likely to attack him or give him an ear-splitting headache, at least. Just a normal one.

"Court is starting!" the bailiff called. Mrs. Huang seemed to shrink as she was escorted away to the defendant's stand. Apollo straightened up and took a deep breath. He hadn't been able to investigate the murder scene, but if Prosecutor Gavin had received the news last night as well, at least he hadn't been able to either.

"Cheer up, Apollo!" Athena told him. "She didn't do it, so we'll get through this!"

"Right." _Believe in your client. Always believe in your client._

**March 8 2028, 9:27 AM**

**District Court - Courtroom n°2**

Ema's testimony hadn't taught them anything new. A tangent about killer whales had led them to the decision that, even if a killer whale had made it this close to the coast, it still hadn't killed Ms. Sammons. The killer whales in the nearby aquariums had been dismissed as well, as, in Ema's words: "There was no water damage anywhere. And no, she didn't just dry up before we found her."

"You think we should mention the channeling?" Athena whispered as Ema was making room for Mrs. Huang. "Does Prosecutor Gavin even know about that?"

"Let's hold off for a bit. I still don't quite believe her story. There must be some other explanation." Preferably one that didn't involve mythical creatures coming to life from a piece of cardboard.

"And could you tell us who you are?" Prosecutor Gavin asked. Mrs. Huang had taken the stand. She looked even worse than she had in the defendant's lobby, but when she spoke, her voice was clear.

"My name is Huang Longxin," she said. "I work for Industrial Illusions. I transferred here two years ago from Shanghai and have been working with Cyan ever since."

"How would you describe your relationship with the victim?" Prosecutor Gavin asked.

"Cyan was my friend. We've been working on the same project since I came here."

"She was quite a bit younger than you are, isn't that right?" Apollo asked, eyes on the list of profiles he'd received.

"Does it matter?" Mrs. Huang narrowed her eyes. "Cyan was incredibly motivated. We'd work five days a week, but I know she came in during weekends as well."

"That's quite the dedication," the judge marveled. "What is it you and Ms. Sammons worked on?"

"Inter-dimensional physics."

Silence in the courtroom. Athena's baffled look told Apollo she had even less of an idea than he had.

"Why don't you explain for our ignorant Herr Forehead over there?" Prosecutor Gavin asked. Apollo glared.

_You have no clue what she said either, you liar. _

Mrs. Huang cast them all a long-suffering look. Now that she got to talk about her job, she looked far less nervous than she had just a few brief minutes ago. "Inter-dimensional physics deals with different universes, the way they influence each other, and how they connect. It's a little-known but vital part of Industrial Illusion's work."

Prosecutor Gavin leaned forward. "You must excuse me, Mrs. Huang, but I find all of this to be quite… incredible."

_Subtle, Gavin. Very subtle._ Then again, Apollo couldn't blame him. First dragons, now other dimensions?

"The research is very precious to Chairman Pegasus. It is vital for the continued production of Duel Monsters." Mrs. Huang was lecturing now. "Ask him yourself. We wouldn't be developing any new cards without this research. We've even got specialists all over the world working on it."

"This Duel Monsters… What exactly is it?" the judge asked.

"It is a… It's a card game, Herr Judge," Prosecutor Gavin replied before Mrs. Huang could. "Very popular, especially in Japan. I myself was unaware that it involved physics, however."

Mrs. Huang shook her head. "Of course it involves physics. Cyan had made some incredible discoveries. We'd almost figured it out and—"

"Ah, I see."

Apollo didn't like that tone one bit. He exchanged a look with Athena, who leaned forward to ask, "See what, exactly?"

"You must have noticed, Fräulein Cykes," Prosecutor Gavin said, "that this trial isn't what we'd call… conventional, _ja_?"

Athena narrowed her eyes. "There is no evidence our client even killed Ms. Sammons."

Mrs. Huang seemed to shrink at those words. Prosecutor Gavin shook his head theatrically. "You are quite right, of course, Fräulein Cykes. We cannot say that Mrs. Huang was anywhere near the scene of the crime last Monday morning. But as she has so helpfully revealed to the court just now, she is the only one with a motive."

Apollo slammed his hands down on the desk. "And what's that supposed to be?"

"Do you need to have your ears checked, Herr Forehead? The defendant was quite clear on the matter."

There was chatter in the courtroom. The judge straightened up. "I'm afraid I don't follow either, Prosecutor Gavin. Please explain for the court."

Prosecutor Gavin shook his head. "Very well. Mrs. Huang, you said Ms. Sammons had made a breakthrough, am I right?"

Mrs. Huang narrowed her eyes. "She had, yes. How is this relevant? I didn't kill her."

"And yet you explicitly credit Ms. Sammons for this breakthrough of hers. It is easy to understand, isn't it? Ms. Sammons, seven years younger than you, a new hire at the company, and yet she was already outshining you after you had been the most prolific scientist in Shanghai? I can't help but feel that any person in your situation would feel some… resentment, no?"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo shouted. "Your honor, this is pure conjecture!"

The judge slammed his gavel. "Sustained. I must agree with Mr. Justice, Prosecutor Gavin. While I have seen a great many crimes motivated by jealousy, that alone is not enough reason for me to pass a guilty verdict on Mrs. Huang."

"The judge is on our side, Apollo!" Athena whispered. Apollo suppressed a grin. For one in his life the judge agreed with them. He was going to enjoy every second of it.

But Prosecutor Gavin just smirked at him from the other side of the courtroom. "Not so hasty, Herr Forehead," he said. "Of course I am aware that, up until now, I have not presented this courtroom with any concrete proof. And as detective Skye so succinctly explained, there is no evidence linking Mrs. Huang to the scene of the crime. But I have something I think will prove quite convincing to the court."

Apollo clenched his hands. He didn't like the sound of that one bit. Knowing Prosecutor Gavin, they were going to lose their edge in just a few seconds.

"Don't worry, Apollo," Athena whispered. "Whatever he brings out, I'm sure we can handle it. Besides, Prosecutor Gavin wouldn't present anything false, right?"

That was true. For all that the prosecutor got on his nerves sometimes, at least such embarrassment didn't compare to hawk attacks.

Prosecutor Gavin got out a sheet of paper. "I have here the testimony of a very special witness. While she could not be here with us today, the legitimacy of it has been attested to by, among others, Detective Skye."

_Can't be. Ema wouldn't give that to him._

"Yesterday evening, Master Maya Fey of the Kurain Channeling Tradition channeled the victim and got her testimony."

Uproar. The judge slammed his gavel.

"Prosecutor Gavin, the victim was channeled? How is it the court is not aware of this?"

"Ah, yes, the Fey clan has a special gift which allows him to serve as a medium for—"

"I am familiar with the Fey clan and their gifts, Prosecutor Gavin," the judge said. Prosecutor Gavin looked momentarily taken aback. "Why was this evidence not presented earlier? It is rare that we have a chance to hear testimony from the victim herself."

"Ah, yes." Prosecutor Gavin fumbled with his sheet of paper. Apollo felt a momentary stab of sympathy. Sometimes the judge turned out to be far more astute than any of them expected. "The testimony took a while to be cleared by the Chief Prosecutor. While I did not witness the channeling myself, I've been informed that reliable witnesses were present."

"Who would those witnesses be?" the judge asked. Athena slumped. Apollo was very tempted to do the same.

"The defense counsel, Herr Judge."

The judge leveled them with a stare. Athena swallowed, but faced it head-on.

"Prosecutor Gavin is correct, Your Honor. Unfortunately, we were only alerted of the trial when it was too late to admit evidence of our own."

"I see. Well then, Prosecutor Gavin?"

Prosecutor Gavin had recovered from his brief surprise and raised the paper with Cyan Sammons' testimony. What followed came as no surprise to Apollo—he'd been there when Sammons had said the words herself, after all.

"Prosecutor Gavin really likes being dramatic, doesn't he?" Athena whispered when the Prosecutor lowered his voice to recount Ms. Sammons' encounter with the Sapphire Dragon.

"He shouldn't hold out for any acting awards."

"Don't be mean, Apollo."

_Everyone's a critic. _Apollo sighed as Prosecutor Gavin finished acting out the testimony with a flourish. Silence fell in the courtroom once more.

"Ms. Sammons… Claims to have been killed by a dragon?"

"It is an incredible story, Herr Judge, I agree. But I do feel it's this court's duty to give the victim's words due consideration."

"I have a bad feeling about this, Apollo," Athena whispered. She was right. They should at least try to stop this argument.

"Prosecutor Gavin!" Apollo called out. "Are you seriously suggesting Ms. Sammons was actually killed by a dragon?"

"Whose word should be more trustworthy than those of the victim?"

"Isn't it far more plausible that Ms. Sammons was merely in shock and did not recall the events surrounding her death properly?"

The judge blinked. "Yes, it is very strange. Normally such outlandish theories are the trademark of the defense team."

_Oh, thanks for the support, Your Honor._

Prosecutor Gavin was unfazed. "It is an extraordinary case, no doubt. But might I remind you of the project the victim and the defendant were working on? Inter-dimensional physics. Surely one so involved in this project could easily bring over a dragon to kill her victim? Mrs. Huang commanded a dragon from another world to kill Ms. Sammons, knowing that this case would never be taken seriously."

"OBJECTION!" Athena and Apollo shouted together. "That's just impossible!" Athena continued.

"But is it? I'd like to draw the court's attention to a specific part of Ms. Sammons' testimony. Ms. Sammons told us about the card preferences of her and Mrs. Huang, and while she preferred Diamond Dragon, she tells us that Mrs. Huang was very fond of the Sapphire Dragon card." Prosecutor Gavin hit the wall behind him. "The very dragon that killed Ms. Sammons!"

"Ack!"

On the witness stand, Mrs. Huang looked almost in tears. "Well, yes, it was my childhood favorite," she said. "But I swear! I wouldn't kill Cyan!"

She was still telling the truth, and seeing her in tears was almost too much to bear. Apollo gritted his teeth. "The prosecution still hasn't provided us with any proof that Ms. Sammons' testimony is accurate! It is impossible for dragons to exist, let alone for Mrs. Huang to have summoned her favorite dragon to kill her lab partner!"

Mrs. Huang looked like she was about to interrupt. The judge shook his head.

"While I have seen a lot of strange events in my lifetime, I feel once more compelled to side with the defense on this matter, Prosecutor Gavin. Without proof that this murder was even possible the way Ms. Sammons described, I will declare a non-guilty verdict at this stage. I have seen no decisive evidence indicating Mrs. Huang's guilt whatsoever."

"We're winning this one, Apollo!" Athena hissed, but Apollo was staring at Prosecutor Gavin. He looked wholly unconcerned. This fight was far from over.

"The prosecution has proof, Her Judge, in the form of a witness who will prove, incontrovertibly, that the murder could happen the way Ms. Sammons described," Prosecutor Gavin said. Apollo swallowed. He'd been afraid of that.

"This is turning into a trial of little evidence and many witnesses," the judge said. "Very well. Where is your witness?"

"He is in the prosecutor's lobby, Herr Judge. I propose a short recess, so I can go over the facts with our witness."

The judge frowned. "All right, Prosecutor Gavin. But if your witness does not shed new light on this case, I will declare this trial over. Court is in recess."

**March 8 2028, 10:48 AM**

**District Court - Defendant Lobby n°2**

Mrs. Huang was still tearing up when they met her in the lobby. "I think it's just hit me that Cyan's really gone, you know? And I don't even know what's going to happen to the project if both Cyan and I are gone," she said. "Maybe Coral could—"

"They will not find you guilty, Mrs. Huang. Apollo and I will make sure of it!" Athena said, loud enough for everyone else in the defendant lobby to hear. Apollo smiled. She'd been practicing.

"We're going to be fine!" he added.

Mrs. Huang gave them a watery smile. "You're good kids, you two. That Prosecutor didn't really seem to know what he was doing, did he?"

Apollo's smile disappeared. "No, he knows perfectly well what he's doing. Prosecutor Gavin is far from stupid. What I want to know is who got Ms. Sammons' testimony submitted in court. I thought Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth didn't want her to be channeled."

"Oh, Daddy did that!"

"Gah!" Apollo almost jumped. Trucy appeared from behind Mrs. Huang. "Trucy, at least let us know you'll be here!"

"Don't be such a wuss, Polly, I was in the gallery all the time with Pearls. It's Mystic Maya's witness Prosecutor Gavin is bringing in, you know!"

"Wait, really?" Athena asked. "Isn't he supposed to be on our side, then?"

Trucy raised a thoughtful finger. "Yeah, I guess so. He can't be that bad, right?"

"Did you say Mr. Wright had Ms. Sammons' testimony admitted?"

"Yep! Daddy called Mr. Edgeworth this morning and said it was important. It is kinda important, isn't it? Wow, I wish I could've met a dragon!"

"They're quite scary, young lady," Mrs. Huang said. "You don't want to meet them."

Apollo had the sinking feeling that case was about to get a whole lot more complicated. The judge might be on their side now, but if they couldn't find another culprit, it would be very hard to get Mrs. Huang her non-guilty verdict.

"Oh, looks like they're starting again!" Trucy said. Indeed, the audience was slowly trickling back into the courtroom. Apollo squared his shoulders.

"Let's see what this mystery witness has in store."

* * *

_Comments, questions and concrit welcome as always!_


	3. Chapter 3

A new chapter, a new player, and things start getting weird. Weirder than usual, that is.

Mild spoilers in this chapter for the Yu-Gi-Oh tenth anniversary movie.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**March 8 2028, 11:00 AM**

**District Court - Courtroom n°2**

The man who'd taken the stand was clearly Japanese, somewhere between Ms. Sammons and Mrs. Huang in age, with brown hair and eyes that seemed to change color from a distance, but settled on brown when Apollo took a closer look. He was finishing a to-go cup of coffee when Prosecutor Gavin took his place.

"Court is back in session," the judge announced. "Prosecutor Gavin, is this your witness?"

"Indeed." Prosecutor Gavin smiled. "Let's cut right to the chase, shall we?"

Apollo placed his hands flat on the table. "By all means, Prosecutor Gavin."

"Witness, your name and profession, please?"

The witness finished his coffee and carefully placed the empty cup next to him on the ground. "Yuki Judai," he said when he straightened back up. "Ah, profession? I travel. I help out wherever I can."

"You do charity work?" Athena asked. Mr. Yuki frowned for a moment.

"I guess you could call it that, yeah."

Apollo's bracelet tightened. Mr. Yuki didn't like the label of charity, but why wouldn't he? This wasn't going to be a straightforward testimony. At least he didn't seem to be lying about the traveling part. His face was tanned and weathered, and while his jacket looked well-cared for, it had clearly seen better days.

"You are thirty-seven, am I correct?" Prosecutor Gavin continued. Mr. Yuki nodded.

"There's something off about him," Athena whispered.

_Of course there is. It's Mr. Wright's fault he's here._

"And Mr. Yuki, you claim to know more about the murder?"

"I think I can wager a pretty good guess."

The judge perked up. "That would be very helpful. We are _stumped_on this matter."

_Don't tell the witnesses that,_Apollo thought. He braced himself. Either there was going to be something very wrong with this testimony, or it was going to destroy their case.

"Let's start with why you were called in, all right?" Prosecutor Gavin asked. Mr. Yuki grinned.

"I received a call yesterday afternoon from Maya Fey. She told me a case involving spirits had come up, and that she could use my help."

"Maya Fey, head of the Fey family, correct?" Apollo asked. He already knew, of course. By now, surely everyone in the courtroom did, but he wanted to hear Mr. Yuki's side of the story.

"Yep. We met shortly after she became Master, but I knew her mother before her. The Fey family has always entertained close bonds with the more spiritually-inclined of the world. Maya Fey believed this was my area of expertise."

"Maya Fey is a famous spirit medium. What made her think you were better suited for the job?" Apollo asked. It came out as more of a rebuke than he'd intended, but Mr. Yuki smiled easily.

"The Fey clan only has expertise dealing with spirits of the dead. I'm better with other spirits."

Apollo gritted his teeth. So this was why Prosecutor Gavin had brought him in. "Could you elaborate, please?" he asked, leaning forward.

"Oh," Mr. Yuki said with a glance backwards. Apollo's bracelet tightened.

"Hold it!" he shouted, focusing fully. Mr. Yuki looked puzzled, as did everyone else, because how could 'oh,' possibly be a lie? But there had to be something: his bracelet had never led him astray and Mr. Yuki was looking over his shoulder whenever he mentioned spirits. If he could prove he was lying, they'd get Mrs. Huang her not-guilty verdict and—

"Oh," he said quietly. There was a monster. Behind Mr. Yuki. In court. It was huge, with enormous wings and eyes of two different colors, and Mr. Yuki didn't seem at all threatened by it.

"Apollo?" Athena whispered. "Something wrong?"

"You can't—?" he asked, but Athena gave no indication of being able to see the monster. It bent low over Mr. Yuki's shoulder and whispered something that made Mr. Yuki look straight at him.

"Court is no place to sleep, Herr Forehead," Prosecutor Gavin said, but even he sounded concerned. Sometimes it was easy to forget that the prosecutor also knew of his Perceive ability.

"It's fine," Mr. Yuki said with a nod to Apollo. "The defense is very perceptive. You were asking about spirits?"

Apollo nodded. The monster was still standing behind Mr. Yuki. It nodded when it saw him staring and put a clawed hand on Mr. Yuki's shoulder. With his tightened focus, Apollo could see Mr. Yuki lean into the touch ever so slightly.

"The Fey clan deals exclusively with spirits of the dead. The spirits I work with are very much alive, but not normally visible in our world. Select people can see them, but most people never notice."

"You said something about other worlds?" Athena interrupted. Apollo was grateful. He was still far too busy staring at the monster to come up with any meaningful questions. It didn't make any move, but it was looking around court as if it expected a threat to appear any minute.

"Twelve in total, yes. Some of them have monster spirits. They're usually solid in those worlds."

Prosecutor Gavin smiled. "Mr. Yuki, you have been following the trial up to this point, _ja_?" he asked. "Am I right to assume that the Sapphire Dragon Ms. Sammons mentioned came from one of those other worlds?"

"Sapphire Dragon…" Mr. Yuki was frowning about something. The monster whispered in his ear, and he nodded. "There are definitely Sapphire Dragons in some of those worlds. I've never seen one on Earth, though. It's kind of an old card."

"How are those spirits and the game of Duel Monsters connected?" Prosecutor Gavin pressed on.

"Good question. I'm not entirely sure myself, but many spirits use the cards to manifest on Earth. They reside within the cards when they need a place to rest or just want to take a look around. They can't fully manifest in this world, you know. They're not tangible."

"Hold it!" Apollo finally tore his eyes away from the monster. "They're not tangible?"

"Not generally, no."

"Apollo," Athena whispered, "there's noise."

Apollo held up a hand. There was a lot that bothered him about Mr. Yuki, but if he played his cards right, this final bit of testimony could make their case.

"Prosecutor Gavin, am I correct when I say that Ms. Sammons claims to have been killed by a dragon?"

Prosecutor Gavin seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of joy from this case. He grinned at Apollo. "You were there yourself, Herr Forehead. I didn't think your memory was that bad."

"And yet, now, Mr. Yuki, an expert on spirits, has stated that these spirits are not tangible on Earth." He pointed. Dramatically. "Meaning that it's impossible for Ms. Sammons to have been killed by a dragon!"

Someone shouted in the courtroom. The monster's head immediately snapped up and it folded a protective wing in front of Mr. Yuki. The original shout was followed by more commotion. Athena put her hands on her temples.

"I wish they wouldn't be so loud," she whispered. Apollo grimaced.

"ORDER!" The judge shouted. "Mr. Justice, please explain what this means."

"It's very simple, your honor. While the defense believes Mr. Yuki's testimony and acknowledges that spirits exist—"

"We do?" Athena whispered.

_Either that or this job has finally driven me to hallucinations._"—we stand by our original theory. Due to the shock of being murdered, Ms. Sammons misinterpreted the events. She was not killed by Sapphire Dragon or any supernatural creature whatsoever! Our client, Mrs. Huang, has nothing to do with the murder of Cyan Sammons!"

"Ugh, shut up," Athena hissed when the audience broke out in renewed shouts. Mr. Yuki was watching the proceedings with a distinctly amused smile. And Prosecutor Gavin…

Prosecutor Gavin grinned.

"I must thank you, Herr Forehead. Have you considered a career as prosecutor, perhaps?"

Apollo slammed the desk hard enough for the pain to shoot up to his upper arms. He hid his wince by shouting. "What do you mean?"

"Your argument is that Ms. Sammons was in shock and thus hallucinated a dragon killing her. According to Mr. Yuki's testimony, it's impossible for a dragon to be physically present on earth. Therefore, Ms. Sammons' killer must have been human. _Ist das richtig?_"

"_Ja, stimmt,_" Athena replied.

"_Danke._And thank you, Herr Forehead, for so nicely disproving the existence of our mythical dragon. Which, of course, brings us to only one conclusion. I Ms. Sammons' murderer was human, as you and Miss Cykes have just proven to the court, then that only leaves one person with a motive: your client, Mrs. Huang!"

"No!"

The judge nodded. "This might be your most convincing argument in this trial so far, Prosecutor Gavin. The lack of dragon does indeed make for a far more believable story."

"He's been setting us up all this time!" Athena hissed. Apollo clenched his fists. _And here I thought he was playing nice._

_"_While I'm still not convinced that Mrs. Huang is indeed the guilty party, in light of the prosecution's argument I can't declare her innocent either. At this stage, the prosecution and defense both need more arguments to back up their case. We will resume trial tomorrow. Court is dismiss—"

"Actually, can I say something very quickly?"

All heads turned to Mr. Yuki. He was slouching on the stand, one hand under his chin.

"What is it, Mr. Yuki?"

"I think I caused some confusion, sorry for that." He ran a hand through his hair. "The thing is, monster spirits can't make themselves tangible in this world."

Apollo had a sinking feeling. He didn't know how their case could get worse, but he was sure that he was going to find out in just a few seconds.

"There are actually people who can, though," Mr. Yuki continued. "Powerful psychics can manifest monster spirits here on Earth."

More uproar. Apollo put a finger to his forehead. That was… actually not as bad for their case as he'd feared.

"If that's true, that leaves room for another culprit besides Mrs. Huang!" Athena shouted. Apollo nodded vigorously.

"Mr. Yuki, do you keep tabs on any psychics in the United States?" he asked. That would be the fastest way to find any new suspects.

But Mr. Yuki looked down. "Ah, I'm sorry. I've only met a few of them very fleetingly."

And Apollo's bracelet tightened. Athena sucked in a breath.

"Apollo, there's so much noise, I can barely keep track of it," she whispered. "He's lying. He knows far more than he's letting on."

"We've got to get it out of him," Apollo whispered back. Prosecutor Gavin was staring at them, an inscrutable look on his face. Athena straightened up.

"With you permission, Your Honor," she said, "it seems like Mr. Yuki has some things on his mind. I feel like I could provide him with some help."

The monster spread its wings wide. Apollo took an involuntary step back. He was suddenly glad he was the only one able to see it.

"On my mind?" Mr. Yuki repeated. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

"Miss Cykes, do you consider this important at this stage of the trial?" the judge asked. Athena nodded.

"Definitely. If we can clear up the doubts in Mr. Yuki's mind, we might get another step closer to finding Ms. Sammons' true murderer."

"Prosecutor Gavin?"

"No objections, Herr Judge." Prosecutor Gavin leaned forwards. "In fact, I haven't had the honor of seeing Miss Cykes' special brand of psychology in person yet. I quite look forward to a demonstration."

The judge nodded. "All right, Miss Cykes. You may go ahead."

Athena grinned and activated Widget. Mr. Yuki's testimony appeared on the screen.

"Anything look odd to you?" Athena asked. Apollo frowned. Most of his statements didn't seem to elicit any specific emotion, but there was one… Mr. Yuki felt angry about something.

"Here. Mr. Yuki, when you say you only met some psychics very fleetingly, why do you feel angry?"

Mr. Yuki's eyes widened. "You know, I honestly didn't think that'd still come through," he said. "But it's no big deal. I had an altercation with one such psychic duelist years ago. I must've been about Miss Cykes' age at the time."

"What happened?"

"He stole some things that were very precious to some good friends of mine."

"And that person, where is he now?" Apollo asked. A thief could also be a murderer.

"Dead, sorry. He's not the person you're looking for."

Athena updated the information. The noise level had gone down, but it was far from gone.

"Mr. Yuki?" she said. "It's strange. You just told us that this person hurt your friends. And yet, when you say he's dead, you feel sad. Why is that?"

Mr. Yuki looked astonished. "Wow, that thingy of yours is pretty powerful. Ah… I think I was sad at the time, yes… Because I met some pretty great people through that ordeal and we had to say goodbye afterwards. One of them I probably won't ever see again."

It sounded plausible enough, Apollo thought. At least, until he glanced at Athena's screen.

"The noise level's gone _up_?" he hissed. Athena looked from the screen to Mr. Yuki.

"He's still hiding something. We'll get it out." She tapped the screen. "Mr. Yuki, why else were you sad?"

"I—what?"

The sadness marker was going out of control, and now the anger one had reappeared as well, but the surprise marker, the one that should've been blinking furiously right now….

"Mr. Yuki, you know very well what we're talking about. Something about that encounter made you sad," Apollo pressed. "Something beyond the reasons you've just given us. What is it?"

"You want me to stop them?" the monster asked loudly. Apollo sucked in a breath, but he clenched his fists. Monster or not, he was _not_stopping here. Mr. Yuki looked distinctly disconcerted for the first time now.

"I… Wow, you kids are really good," he said with a weak smile. "I suppose… I made mistakes. Could've prevented some harm."

"You could've gone up against someone who, by your own words, could summon dragons?" Apollo asked.

"I did go up against him. But I might have been able to do it in a different way."

That didn't make sense. Mr. Yuki didn't look weak, exactly, but he also didn't look like the kind of person who could face any amount of serious damage and survive, let alone a dragon. Unless…

"Gotcha!" Apollo smiled. "I've got it. Mr. Yuki, you are psychic yourself, aren't you? And if I'm right, you are more powerful than the person you faced."

There was a collective gasp in the courtroom. Even Prosecutor Gavin looked briefly surprised, but Apollo didn't focus on him. He was staring, not at Mr. Yuki, but the monster behind him. Its eyes were flashing furiously and its face was twisted in an ugly snarl. It was all the evidence Apollo needed. Judai Yuki was psychic, and for some reason, he'd been hiding it for the court.

"Mr. Justice," Mr. Yuki said. His previous laid-back demeanor disappeared and in sharp contrast to the monster behind him, his eyes turned cold. "Miss Cykes. It's very impressive what you're doing, and for the purposes of this conversation, you are right."

"So you—"

"I can summon monsters." And then, with no further ado, his eyes glowed the same teal-orange of the large monster's eyes, and a tiny creature appeared. It had a brown furry coat, with white, feathery wings and small green claws. It settled on Mr. Yuki's head among the shouts in the courtroom, which should have made him look less intimidating, but didn't. "I do believe this also aptly demonstrates the existence of spirits."

"I…" Prosecutor Gavin looked at a loss for words. So did everyone else.

"It's sufficient, Mr. Yuki," Apollo said. Maybe seeing the huge monster had desensitized him to the shock of seeing a spirit in flesh and blood. The tiny brown monster looked positively adorable in comparison. "But there is one thing I don't quite get. I'm sure you must have picked up our disbelief when it comes to the existence of those monster spirits, and yet you could've proven their existence to us the moment you entered the courtroom. Why did you not do so?"

"I didn't want to cause any panic. It is a rather big revelation."

It sounded reasonable, and yet—

"Lying," Athena whispered. "Again."

Prosecutor Gavin glanced at them and nodded. "Ah, Mr. Yuki, I'm afraid you underestimate the court. We are made of sterner stuff, I assure you."

"I'm glad to hear it," Mr. Yuki said. The tiny monster chirped.

"Mr. Yuki, is that really the case?" Athena asked. "Were you really so concerned with our well-being?"

"You don't think very highly of me, do you?" Mr. Yuki asked with a smile. It didn't reach his eyes. The brown of his irises had taken on a distinct golden shine.

Athena stared at him. "You thinking what I'm thinking, Apollo?" she murmured. Apollo nodded. Maya had said something about him traveling, about not even being sure he was on the continent… It was a hunch, but he was going to run with it.

"Mr. Yuki, where were you the morning of March 6th?"

"Morning… Hold on, time zones." He counted to ten on his fingers. "Ah yes, I was staying with a friend. I stayed at his house until Miss Fey contacted me yesterday."

Athena picked up on his line of questioning. "And this friend, can he testify to your presence?"

Mr. Yuki shrugged. "Sure, I'm pretty sure."

Athena turned to the judge. "Your Honor, the defense requests we confirm the alibi of Mr. Yuki at the time of the murder!"

"That seems a bit hasty, no?" Prosecutor Gavin said. "After all, Mr. Yuki's testimony should be quite helpful for the defense. Did we not just confirm that your client didn't summon any dragons?"

Apollo ignored him. "Mr. Yuki, can we please contact your friend?"

Mr. Yuki folded his arms. "Gonna be a bit hard, I'm afraid. He's probably getting ready for bed by now. Johan's siblings get cranky if you wake him up."

Ready for bed… "Just a minute, Mr. Yuki. Where exactly does your friend live?"

The large monster shook its head, unseen to all save Apollo, but Mr. Yuki shrugged, resignedly amused. "Johan Andersen. He lives in Bergen."

"Is that Bergen county in New Jersey, Mr. Yuki?" Athena asked. Apollo hadn't been even aware of the existence of a Bergen, let alone one in New Jersey. "That must've been quite a hurried trip to get here in time."

"Bergen, New Jersey?" Mr. Yuki had clearly never heard of the place either. "No, I meant Bergen, Norway."

"N-NORWAY?"

The judge banged his gavel. "Mr. Yuki, you mean to tell us you were in Norway until yesterday evening?"

Mr. Yuki tilted his head. "Yesterday afternoon, technically, but yes."

"But that is absolutely impossible!" Athena shouted. "I've made that trip! It takes almost a day to get here from Europe!"

"The Fräulein is correct," Prosecutor Gavin said. "I'm familiar with the journey myself. I must admit to having my doubts that, even with the fastest plane available, you would have arrived here in less than twelve hours. A journey on such short notice would take considerably longer."

"I didn't exactly take a—" Mr. Yuki shrugged. "You can always ask Johan. I'll give you his e-mail address."

Apollo glanced at his bracelet. It wasn't even reacting, the stupid thing, even when it clearly should. Athena was tapping away at Widget, but it seemed to have come down with the same problem. He took a deep breath. Prosecutor Gavin was staring at them.

"We doing this, Apollo?" Athena whispered.

"I think we have no choice. It's the only thing that makes sense," he whispered back. Judai Yuki had to be lying. That trip was physically impossible.

"Mr. Yuki!" he called. "I don't know why you would tell the court such an obvious lie, but it can only lead me to one conclusion."

Mr. Yuki raised his eyebrows. "That being?"

"I find it impossible to believe you were in Norway until last night. In fact, while your friend will undoubtedly corroborate your alibi, it is the defense's opinion you were never in Norway to begin with. You were already in California when Miss Fey contacted you."

"Then the defense's opinion is wrong," said Mr. Yuki. "But go ahead. This will be interesting."

Apollo turned away from him. "Your Honor, Mr. Yuki's testimony has made several things very clear. First of all, the existence of monster spirits that can't ordinarily manifest in this world. Second of all, the existence of a small group of people who can make those spirits manifest. And third of all, the fact that Mr. Yuki is part of this small group of people himself."

"Yes, that is correct," the judge said. "What do you wish to say, Mr. Justice?"

Apollo glanced at Prosecutor Gavin, who had been suspiciously silent throughout his entire argument. He swallowed and continued.

"The evidence against our client is non-existent. She was only arrested because she had a—very flimsy—motive. And yet now we have here a witness who has the means to kill Ms. Sammons in the way she described in her own testimony. Moreover, it is clear he's lying about his alibi for the murder."

"Out with it, Herr Forehead," Prosecutor Gavin said. Apollo took a deep breath.

"Your Honor, the defense accuses Judai Yuki of the murder of Cyan Sammons!"

* * *

**For reference:**

The monster Apollo sees is a Duel Monster called Yubel. The one Judai summons is called Hane Kuriboh.

_Comments, questions and concrit welcome as always!_


End file.
